# What is a Domain Name Registrar?

<article id="bkmrk-joker.com-is-an-ican">**Joker.com is an ICANN-accredited domain registrar**

What does it mean?

A domain **registrar is a company** or service that allows individuals or organizations **to register and purchase domain names** for their websites.

Domain registrars are accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ([ICANN](https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/educational-2012-02-25-en)), the organization responsible for managing domain names and IP addresses on the Internet. They also provide other services related to domain names, such as domain name transfers, [<abbr class="glossary" title="Domain Name Server">DNS</abbr>](https://joker.com/faq/books/jokercom-faq-en/page/what-is-domain-name-service-dns) management, and domain name renewal. It's important to choose a reputable and reliable domain registrar to ensure that your domain name is properly registered and managed.

**When you want to register a domain name, you:**

- go through a domain Registrar
- the Registrar helps you search for available domain names
- if the one you want is available, you can purchase it for a specified period of time
- registration period usually ranges from one to ten years
- the Registrar then **maintains a record of your domain name registration**, including your contact information and technical details, in a database called the domain name system [(<abbr class="glossary" title="Domain Name Server">DNS</abbr>)](https://joker.com/faq/books/jokercom-faq-en/page/what-is-domain-name-service-dns).

</article>